Seven Reasons as to Why
by Spencer JD
Summary: Will Treaty had been sent to Ito, not knowing why. Duncan had promised things would happen and people would come. They never did. A month later, he got a letter from Horace. Araluen had been sieged, and was no longer considered a country. Six years after that, Will receives a package, which contains the Seven Reasons and explanations as to why he wasn't allowed to save his country.
1. 0-1 Prologue

**Disclaimer: I don't own Ranger's Apprentice, that's including the characters, places, and somethings mentioned.**

**I'm not sure if I will continue this, but you'll be able to tell if I do. If I do, the First Reason, and it's Explanation will be out in the first chapter.**

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The young Ranger stood on the balcony, leaning over the railing. He was looking over the grand castle and to the city beyond. It was a familiar landscape, yet it wasn't Redmont, or even Castle Araluen. How it was that familiar to be considered as close as Redmont was odd in its own way, considering the Ranger hadn't been here in years. Ito was a large sprawling city, not counting the castle. The emperor and all his dignitaries, the Senshi and most servants, all lived there. That wasn't even counting the guests; many came in daily, and the foreign dignitaries.

Will Treaty had been sent there, suddenly and without explanation. Even Horace didn't know why, and he just had to go along with Duncan's wishes. The King's wishes didn't really make much sense at the moment though - Araluen was being invaded, from the north and east, and they needed all the help they could get. One might say Will was sent there to ask for help from Nihon-Ja, but they had troops heading over already.

Taking in the beautiful land ahead and behind, the Ranger took a deep breath. The flawless weather currently plaguing the southern land made the air cool and crisp and the air refreshed the Ranger. As golden leaves started raining down, someone knocked lightly on the door.

_Odd, _the Ranger thought_, it's nearly dark. Who would be looking for me now? _The young man crossed his small room, passing his cloak and bow, which he had thrown down on a chair near the deep fireplace. Unconsciously, his hand slipped up his side, and rested on his saxe.

Feeling the wrongness in the air, and the dreary silence after the quiet knock, he hesitated at the door. And still feeling something was off, he kept a tight grip on his saxe, while he turned the knob, and opened the door.

Mikeru, the young Kikori who had come back to Ito with Shigeru, was standing on the other side. His eyes showed the exhaustion, and his slouching posture told it all. Something was wrong.

"_Chocho_!" Mikeru cried. Before the Ranger could do anything, Mikeru burst into tears, which were leaving trails down his dirtied face. Shakily, the Kikori pulled a crumpled pile of papers from his bag. He shoved it into Will's arms, and ran.

"Mikeru! Mikeru, come back!" He was gone. Everything was pointing to something being wrong. The top paper had Duncan's royal seal stamped hurriedly on the bottom next to his signature.

_-Will Treaty, Ranger 50_

_ You are probably wondering why I sent you off to Nihon-Ja, when Emperor Shigeru was one of the first to send aid. I am sorry to admit this to you, Will, and you probably will not be too happy about my decision, but it was mandatory that I send you away, for your own protection. All though you may not have realized it, but if you would have stayed, this war would have hit you harder than any other here. I will not get too far into details, and I have said what I need to say._

_I have also sent a copy of this to Emperor Shigeru, so he knows that you must, and I repeat, must, stay where you are. I am not asking, or telling, but am ordering you to stay. Knowing Rangers, you will want to know what it is I am keeping from you, so this next paragraph is not in Shigeru's copy._

_You may remember this more vividly than I, but you did tell me in detail what happened to you in northern Aslava and southern Alphina. You should also remember the Areial family who aided you while there. Though you meet the whole family, you didn't meet one because they claimed him dead. Wensley Areial, the younger brother of Micheal Areial, and husband to Eris Semina. He is very alive, and very deadly. He rebelled against his country and killed Alva Kabu, the past King of Alphina. That is why he was disowned by his family and given the title of an outcast. As it happens, the plans you foiled in Alphina and Aslava belonged to him, and were actually not aimed for Quinton Alitar, King of Aslava, but actually for your friends. He was angered by an outsider interfering in his family business, so he next aimed for Araluen. Do not feel as if this is your fault, because I undoubtedly remember ordering you to interfere._

_Sometime soon after you receive this letter, Eris and Michael will meet up with you._

_You are to do what you did sometime before, and catch Wensley again. But stay safe, and alive, and try not to stray too far from Nihon-Ja. There is a reason why I sent you to Nihon-Ja instead of another country._

Below that was his signature and seal.

'_But it was mandatory that I send you away, for your own protection'_? Will was sent away for his own protection, yet underneath that in the last paragraph, it clearly states that he's probably going to get into life threating situations.

The Ranger looked up. The hall was deserted, and it was completely silent. Will slid the note to the bottom of the pile, and he stepped back into his small, but cozy room.

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_**SIX YEARS LATER**_

The Ex-Ranger slid the door shut, and sighed heavily. The paper doors were still something to get used to in Shigeru's summer palace. He tugged off his boots, and slipped on the slippers on the mat next to the door. He shook out his sopping wet hair, and wiped his forehead from the rain pouring down.

Behind him, someone tapped lightly on the paper door. As Will turned, the door slid silently open to admit Shigeru.

"Shigeru, did you need something? I was just about to wash up and come down for dinner." Will brushed the wet hair out of his eyes, and meet eyes with his friend. The Ex-Ranger smiled softly.

"Ah, yes, _Chocho_. I was awaiting your return, in a sort of agitation. You received a package." He pushed out his hands towards Will, and showed him the package. Something looked oddly familiar about.

"Th-that says it's from Araluen."

The last time had heard Will from Araluen, was six years ago. A month after he had gotten a letter from the former King Duncan explaining why he had been sent out, he had gotten another letter, from Horace. Araluen had been completely sieged. First to go was Seacliff, than Macindaw. Slowly, the whole country had been taken over. The two people who had been promised to come, never came, therefore he never left. He never got to see he beloved country, or even his family, since then. No word has been heard from anyone. Will assumed they all died.

Shigeru nodded, and handed the package over to Will. When the package was safely rested in Will's hands, Shigeru put his hand down softly on the top. "If it is serious, you do not need to come down for dinner. You can only ask for me whenever, if you need help." With that, the Emperor stepped back, and slid the door shut.

The Ex-Ranger was still shell-shocked. His eyes were blank, and his mouth slightly opened in disbelief. A note was tied to the top of the brown package, which was dated from less than a month ago. It was from Duncan.

_-Will_

_Many things have happened in the past six years. Mostly the first half-year for you, though. I am aware Horace sent you a letter, telling you that Araluen had fallen. Well, he wasn't lying. I also know that you most likely are angry with me, and might not even read this entire letter after seeing it was from me. Though, you might keep the package, and this letter explains what the package means – so I will keep another copy of this inside the package. If you read this, the letter with five ink drops on the top is the same letter as this one._

_Inside this package, the separate folders inside keep the Seven Reasons, and their explanations. Some of the stories may bother you, but if you wish to find out exactly what happened, you MUST keep reading. There are Seven Reasons, each with One Letter of Explanation, and Six Events. Read all of it, if you wish to discover what happened._

Underneath that was his signature. There was no sign of a royal seal next to that. Will slowly walked over to the table near the door, and fell into a chair.

After a month of staying in Ito, Will had received a letter from Horace, as was explained before. Thing is, something else Horace had explained was that not a week after Will had left, Duncan had gone missing. No one had seen him since then.

The young man warily sat up, and set the small brown package on the table in front of him. He quickly pulled the brown paper off the package, and opened the flaps of the box. As promised, there were seven leather folders resting inside. Each had a thick pile of papers inside. Will placed a hand on the folder labeled _First Reason_.

The Ex-Ranger took a deep breath, and flipped it open.

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**Author's Note: Ummm . . . I don't really have anything to say. So, if you read this, please review. All reviewers I am extremely thankful for. Ummmm . . . Bye.**

**~Spency**


	2. 1-1 Explanations

**Disclaimer: ****I don't own Ranger's Apprentice, that's including the characters, places, and somethings mentioned.**

******Wow . . . just Wow. I didn't think my email would blow up after just the Prologue. Thank you o/o I love you guys. You're all amazing.**

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_The first Reason is for the Survival of the Rangers. _

Will stopped reading at that. Survival of the Rangers? Wouldn't that mean they were dying off? But . . . But they were Rangers! Yeah, one died every once and a while, but . . . 'No,' Will told himself, 'Keep reading.' . . .

_That may sound alarming to you, being a Ranger yourself. As you know, obviously, there are fifty Rangers, all of them kill hard and are hard to kill. That's how Rangers are trained. Thankfully, you are on our side. Horace had always commented repeatedly about how whenever he saw you, Halt or Gilan shoot, he would have a brief thought of how lucky he was not to be on the other end of the arrow. _

_In the month that you were gone, many things have happened. Too many to count. One of them, what happened to the Rangers, I thought you should learn first. They were your friends, and you deserve to know that not many survived. I am also sorry to say, that out of the original 50 only 4 remain. Yes, only 4 of your friends survived._

Only 4? Will abruptly stood up, knocking the chair back. 'Halt . . . Gilan . . . Crowley . . . D-does that mean . . . ?' The young man nervously ran his hand through his growing hair. Looking down on the table, where he had placed the first file, he slowly realized what he was reading. How small of a chance would his family have of being alive?

"I'm reading memoirs of my dead family." He whispered. Eyes widened, and moisture started to cloud his vision. He had already guessed that his family had been killed. In fact, he had already accepted that they were all dead. Except . . . this was confirmation. There had always been a chance that they were still alive, that they just couldn't communicate, or they just plainly didn't know where he was.

There was tapping on the door behind him, and the door slid open. Someone stepped in.

"_Sencho!_ We were getting concerned about you. You usually do not skip dinner, or go out for such an extended walk—or for that matter, even go out for a walk during a storm." '_Sencho Chocho'_ turned and faced the _Senshi._ They had taken to speaking in mixed language, as Will had been with them for six years, and had been on the edge of his patience when he decided to do something. And something, he did. The _katana _was quite easy for him to learn, and even though he wasn't a _sencho_, he was still named one because of his skill. He was also as fluent as a native speaker in Nihon-Jan, which was quite a pleasant surprise for Shigeru.

"Ah, sorry about that, Atsushi. I didn't feel up to dinner then, and I am quite tired. I didn't mean to worry you." The _sencho _smiled softly. At hearing that, Atsushi quickly turned red. He stuttered a few times, than stopped, and nodded.

"I apologize for bothering you." He stepped back, and silently slid the door shut.

Will warily glanced back down to the papers spread on the table. Picking up the chair he had knocked down and setting it right, he took his seat once more, and continued reading . . .

_But do not worry. Halt is as stubborn as ever, and isn't one of the perished. And of course, Gilan took on that characteristic from training with him, and mostly hung around him during the time, meaning he is still standing. Your Commandant is also still standing [maybe Crowley gave the stubbornness to Halt, and Halt gave it to Gilan?]. But, that's only three of the four Rangers I promised were alive. You know Andross, I presume? He was one of the older Rangers, and the other Ranger who was lucky enough to live through everything. There were five before, but he, Skinner, died. What happened to him will be explained in the last of the stories of this Reason._

_I guess, and this most likely will be made out to be a habit, but I'll tell a short bit of what each is about, okay?_

The Ex-Ranger silently nodded to himself. Then smiled. Why was he smiling? He was alone, and this was a letter. . .

_I guess the first story is something I'll never learn about fully. Crowley insists that if this is being sent to you, that he would like to write it, so you would learn all of what started the dreadful slaughtering of the Rangers. What I can tell you on my own though might not be enough to suffice._

_All I know is that during the annual Ranger Gathering, a forest fire was started. Most got out alive and uninjured, but there were a few that got severe burns on arms and legs. Unfortunately, not all got away with their lives. 11 Rangers died in that furnace, and just between you and me, I think it destroyed Crowley. (Don't let him know I said that.)_

A fire? At a Gathering? Tipping back the chair, Will curled the paper in his hand, and tapped his chin, a thoughtful expression displayed across his face. Rangers were careful of fire, and knew, obviously, how to control it for campfires. It wouldn't be possible for it to be an accident for that fire to be started by an irresponsible/foolish Ranger. Or even a Ranger's apprentice, for that matter.

So, that means someone started it on purpose, if that wasn't clear already. But, if it was started on purpose, whoever it was, how did they find the Gathering grounds? Who was it? Did they have a personal grudge on the Rangers, or a Ranger in particular? And did this have anything to do with who started the war, Wensley Areial?

'So many questions, such little information,' Will thought, 'Classic Ranger problem.' . . .

_This second one, I also don't have much experience. Gilan mainly dealt with it, and he gave me the file that explained. That's why the files are so thick. Some of them have actual papers that dealt with these problems. Just as the second story has. Although, Gilan, excited as ever, wanted me to tell you something. He wanted me to tell you that he misses you, and that he hopes everything is going well over there. Ha, he also said a few other things, but I told him to just send you a letter. It would be easier._

_Either way, in this accident, there were multiple reports of dark figures that seemed to be following 8 separate Rangers. One would see this 'dark figure', and report him. Than the Ranger would go missing. And then they would be found, but . . . let's just go onto the next one . . . _

The wind outside picked up greatly, and the rain was battered hard against the thin paper doors. Will's head snapped up as thunder boomed higher up in the mountains. The storm was getting harder, and more violent.

A 'dark figure' was following Rangers? Again, Will curled the paper in his hand, and tapped his chin. How exactly do you 'follow' a Ranger? Well, if you were a Ranger, you could, but still, that would be hard to successfully do that without the other Ranger detecting you. Again, more questions.

Who was the 'dark figure'? Was he the same person who started the forest fire at the Gathering? Did he have a grudge against the Rangers? And why were those particular Rangers signaled out?

'I'll just have to wait to read the stories to figure everything out.' . . .

_The next two are surprisingly simple, though, how this one happened, I have no idea. Once again, Crowley insisted on writing this one, as he's one who knows most of what happened. Not much is known, and your commandant is the one who knows the most about this subject._

_4 Rangers were killed by poisonings, each at a different point in the map. A case in the north, south, east, and west. I don't want to know if that means anything, or what it means, if it does mean something. I believe that you have had experiences with this type of poison, correct? I believe Malcolm in the north called it corocore. He also said that when you two first met, Lord Orman and his father had been poisoned with the same poison, and that you had originally brought Orman to Malcolm for his help. That is the same poison that killed 4 Rangers._

Corocore . . . yes, that was the original poison that had brought down Lord Syron, and nearly killed Orman. Will tipped his hand, and let the three papers slip out. Something was wrong with these papers, but what was it? It wasn't what they were describing, but how it was being said, and something that was being said in the first paragraph of each number. The way Duncan had written it, it seemed as if they expected to see him again. As if they got the date wrong . . . He said Gilan would send a letter. Gilan never sent a letter, only Horace and Duncan had sent him letters. And the last time he got one of those was six years ago, except for this package.

And this couldn't be recent, could it? Araluen had fallen years ago, and Duncan himself went missing after Will had left. Unless, the rest of his family were refugees, found this, and just sent it, it would be impossible for this to be recent. And Will KNEW that there were refugees, he had meet some himself. Some knights, couriers, and scribes had escaped, but refused to leave their home.

Will fidgeted in his seat as he recalled his experiences. He had snuck out of Nihon-Ja, against Shigeru's advice, and went to see if Horace's news was true. He never got past the refugee camp. He twitched again, and stood up. He went across to the front door behind him, than past the table to the living area beyond. Then he turned back around after just getting past the table, and went back around the table. There, he was pacing for the next half-hour. Worst of all, he started to rub across his chest, where he could still feel the slash of the sword cut into his body. And that's how Shigeru found him.

The door slid open again, this time no tapping and Shigeru stepped in.

"_Chocho!_ Why do you pace so much?" A small smile was touching the edges of his mouth, and he had his arms folded behind his back. He was in his sleeping attire, and looked quite tired.

Will stopped in front of his friend, and crossed his arms. He was tapping his foot, and tapping his arm. His eyes were blinking rapidly, and his breaths were coming short and fast. Shigeru reached out, and placed a hand on Will's shoulder. "_Chocho,_ my friend, calm. What is it? I could hear you pacing from my room, and mine is three down the hall."

Slowly, Shigeru coaxed Will down into his seat. "Breath deep, _Chocho_, breath."

* * *

The door slid closed, and Shigeru was off to sleep. Will was on his own. . .

_As I said before in the previous point, these two reasons would be quite simple. Though, as before, I do find this one disturbing. I mean, how do you kill a Ranger, without them letting you? This is most likely the most simple, but, sadly, 7 Rangers died._

_Each of the seven Rangers were found in the Plains of Uthal. All together. They all disappeared one day, and a week later, they were in the Plains of Uthal, dead. Each seemed to have not have suffered, but it was still horrid what happened to them. What concerned Crowley the most, was that their oakleaves were thrown into a fire, and were half burnt when they were found._

The paper fell out of his hands again. Oakleaves, thrown into a fire? Something like that happened in Aslava . . . Eris had explained how they had their own mark. A small broken circle tattooed on to their collarbone. When someone attacked them one night, they had a burning stick. They burned off the tattoo, leaving Eris with a scar where her tattoo should have been.

Will went to stand up again, but he stopped himself. 'Sit down . . . 'he told himself.

The wind rattled the doors, and started to shake some outside walls. Lightning flashed, and thunder cracked above, closer this time. Will reached across the table to the blanket he had thrown onto the table when following Shigeru out. He wrapped it around his bare shoulders, and covered up his traditional Nihon-Ja summer shirt. He hadn't worn his Ranger uniform for years, and at first, it felt odd, not feeling the usual sweep of his cloak behind his back, nor having his hood up and over his head. But he was used to not having it now, though. He still kept it of course, but it was rarely put in use . . .

_The fifth one is quite sad, in fact. With the 20 remaining Rangers scared out of their wits, Crowley had set up an Emergency Meeting. With only 20 of them left, they easily fit somewhere else. They were meeting at another location (Crowley refuses to tell me where, though I have a pretty good guess.), and they felt safe. Well, they weren't._

_During their meeting, they were so focused in trying to figure out what was happening to their friends, that they didn't notice others who weren't supposed to be there. They were ambushed, and some bloody battle broke out. Gilan was injured horribly in that fight, and may not be able to see in his left eye ever again. 15 Rangers died, and they had brought down with them 30 of the attackers. It horrified me when I learned what had happened. _

'Oh, god . . . 'Will covered his mouth as he started to gag. His shoulders started to shake after realizing what had befallen his friends. Gilan, not being able to see out of his left eye? Wouldn't that mean he wouldn't be able to shoot his bow? He wouldn't be able to throw straight, or even, possibly, be able to parry with his sword easily without there being some horrible miscalculation and him getting hurt all over again.

Thinking about the injuries brought Will's mind back to where it shouldn't be. The pain, coursing throughout his chest, the feeling of not being able to breath kept running through his mind. Before he could stop himself, his breaths were quick and short, and his hand started to trace his scar frantically, as if trying to prove as if it wasn't there, but only making it seem more prominent. Top of his left shoulder, across his chest, and ending at his hip. The sword was probably only stopped because it had smashed into his hip bone on his right waist. Over, and over, and over, he traced it. His vision started to tunnel, and black out on the sides, before he slowly heard Shigeru's voice . . .

"Calm down, _Chocho._ All that you remember happened in the past. It's not happening know; as you are with me know. Don't think about it. If you must think about something, _Chocho_, remember Arisaka. When we first met, and after when you proposed to your dear Ariss-san. Don't you remember all of those nice memories? Except, I don't know if you would count Arisaka a 'good' memory . . . "

The deep breaths came, and his vision slowly started to return to normal. Shakily, he let his hand stop its hopeless mission in finding a scar that didn't exist. He looked back down at the paper . . .

_Now, I know before I started the summaries of the stories, I said that Skinner was one of the five that had originally survived, but that he had died. Skinner was patched up from the battle, and was staying at Castle Araluen with the other Rangers when this happened. They all had rooms near each other to make sure that they could help one another if something happened. They heard nothing._

_The next day, after a peaceful night, the five remaining Rangers meet in Crowley's office. I don't want to say too much, as this Explanation is already long enough, but Skinner never showed up. He was gone._

"That's not good." Will gulped.

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**Author's Note: Once again, you guys are so nice. Haha, though with what I did to Will, some of you might get mad . . . Thank you again for all of the nice reviews. I won't be working on this one for a week or two, so hope its not too bad . . . **

**OH, AND HAPPY THANKSGIVING PEOPLE. I'M THANKFUL FOR MY WONDERFUL REVIEWERS/FOLLOWERS!**

**-Spency**


	3. 1-2 Watch'em Burn

******Disclaimer: I don't own Ranger's Apprentice, that's including the characters, places, and somethings mentioned.**

**I'm really sorry. I took forever. I just wasn't working. I just wasn't even bothering to look at this most of the time. I actually had this literally 500 words from being done for like, three weeks.**

**Um, Happy Holidays. Happy New Year. Hope you guys got lots of books. :D **

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_Will! Hey! Not sure of you could tell from my hand writing, but it's me, your ever amazing and awesome commandant, Crowley. Duncan says that he's trying to explain things to you, so I insisted that what happened to the Rangers MUST be included. I also insisted that I have to explain a few things. _

_The first, as I think Duncan explained in his last letter, was the fire at the gathering that took place the day after you left. Now, I know you wanted to stay until after the gathering but you got orders from Duncan to leave immediately, and that you weren't allowed to even say goodbye to the family that weren't currently at Araluen. Damn, that's actually pretty sad. I wonder how you dealt with that kind of pain. _

Will leaned back into his chair, and let a light smile flicker through. In his mind, he could hear the sarcastic tone of Crowley's, reading the letter out loud to him. He could even imagine the eye-roll the Commandant would get from Halt from some of the things Crowley wrote . . .

_Either way, I'm actually glad that you did leave before the gathering. Who knows what would've happened, you could've died! I'm actually pretty lucky that I didn't die (I got quite a few burns, like others.), nor any more than 11 Rangers died. _

Surprisingly, after '11 Rangers died', something seemed to have spilled on the rest of the paper. It was illegible, and only certain parts were actually legible . . .

_. . . 11 Rangers died. Though . . . . . . even st . . . . . Ran . . . . . . . . . . . or maybe even an . . . . claimed that . . . . . . . Duncan . . . . . . You might've meet them during your time in Aslava and . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Eris and . . . tho . . . an . . . You probab . . . B . . . Clem . . . and als . . . eri . .He . . . ack . . . f . . . an . . . ut . . . . . . . . . gh . . . ._

_. . . hu . . . ui . . . oh . . . oh . . . hi . . . but then . . . . . . _

The Ex-Ranger threw down the papers in a flash of frustration. He couldn't read anything, and the farther down he went, the less he could understand. Just missing two paragraphs confused him so much that he couldn't understand anything after it became clear. As Will took a closer look at the watermarks, it soon became clear that it wasn't a spill. They were drops, splashes possibly. 'Oh, yeah . . . '

In Duncan's previous letter, in the paragraph explaining what had happened at the gathering, the last thing he said was _'__just between you and me, I think it destroyed Crowley. (Don't let him know I said that.)'. _Will put a hand over his mouth, and realized what those watermarks were: his tears. He had to write about Rangers dying and something that he couldn't do anything about.

Will flipped past the two sheets that were splashed with the watermarks. From what he could tell, the first two sheets were just explaining things further than what Duncan did. The next five sheets were actually a written story. Crowley had written down some parts, while at other parts, Gilan and Halt's handwriting could be seen. In the margins, all three Rangers had written down things to add to what the other had said, either bringing in more details, explaining something further, or just adding humorous comments to lighten the mood. Though, most of the comments were Gilan, and the further explaining was mainly from Halt. Crowley's comments were just clarifying things.

For now, just reading the actual story is what the ex-Ranger aimed to do, he could read his Gilan's and Halt's comments later.

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_I guess I could start with my conversation with Halt and Gilan, about where you were. It was the second day of the gathering, and you had never come, and as far as those two knew, you never sent word. They had actually thought that you were supposed to come with me, but when I came alone, and refused to talk about you or anything to do with you or the past few days before I headed out for the Gathering, they, well, they got a little worried._

_ We were sitting around the fire in front of the main tent. We were sitting in our usual spots, Halt and I on one side and Gilan on the other, with an empty spot next to him where you usually sat. We were silent, all sipping our coffee, and enjoying, to an extent, each other's silent company. Although, I could tell that Gilan was burning to catch my attention, to ask me that question again, and I knew that this time, I wouldn't be able to wheedle out of answering. Halt wanted an answer just as much as he did. Except, Gilan was the annoying one. He was starting to get on my nerves._

_ Finally, I couldn't stand it anymore. "WHAT, GILAN!?" I snapped at him, and across the fire, I could see him flinch from my sudden outburst, and coffee sloshed out of his cup. As Gilan's coffee came down back to earth, and stained his pants, Halt next to me jerked away from me, and gave me a look that told me I said that a little too loud. Clarke, who had been walking by, stumbled and glanced curiously at the group before continuing on walking by. _

_ I let go of my empty coffee cup, my pinky finger still wrapped the handle so it swung a bit before falling to the ground at my feet. I cradled my head in a hand, and stared deep into the fire._

Going past his usual emotional limitations, the Ex-Ranger allowed himself a smile. Yeah, he had smiled in the past, it had never been so . . . well, it had never been provoked by him actually being amused by something.

Will tipped back the chair, hesitated, but put his feet up on the table anyway. Halt had always drilled into him not to tip back the chairs because it damaged them or something like that. But after leaving the grizzled Ranger's apprenticeship, Halt had done just that, tipped back the chair, and put his dirty boots up on what was now Will's own table. And of course, Halt had some sarcastic comment when his apprentice started to protest. But, of course, when Will put his feet on **his **table, in **his **room, he still hesitated. And of course, he made sure not to put his feet, although completely clean, on any of Duncan's papers . . .

_Gilan had started to open his mouth to speak, but I held up my free hand to tell him to hold his questions. The three of us waited there for a few moments. Gilan's mouth half hanging open, my hand up, and Halt curiously looking at me. During the silence between us, I listened to the sounds around us. The quiet murmur of the fifty other Rangers around us, the crackle of the fire, the crickets in the forest around us . . . _

"_Will was originally with me," I started, "And he was originally going to come here with me. He was mainly summoned so he could give an in-depth report of what happened with him in northern Aslava and southern Alphina to Duncan. Apparently, what happened to him there is what provoked this current war." I take a deep breath, and looked between the two faces. Halt motioned for me to continue. "Well, as you know Halt, he was supposed to come straight away, and after his main talk with Duncan, he was just supposed to hang around Araluen with me, Horace, Cassandra, and Duncan. Yeah, he was asked questions by Duncan or a representative at random times during the month he was with us, but that's all. I still had him doing Ranger work, by asking him to patrol around and stuff like that._

"_Well, a few days before we were supposed to leave for the Gathering, Will was called to Duncan's office very suddenly. Very, very suddenly, because, in fact, the two of us were talking, and he was about to leave me so he could go to bed. I was supposed to come to Duncan's study as well."_

_Halt had nodded at this. So far, this is what he's heard. During the month you were gone from Redmont, You had sent a letter to Halt, just that day when the two of us were summoned. It said everything I had just said, with maybe a few of your sarcastic comments you picked up from training with him. But it didn't have what I said about us being summoned by Duncan at night._

So far, this all seemed mostly right. Will was originally supposed to come to the Gathering with Crowley, and the Ex-Ranger, then just a Ranger, was asked to come to Araluen to give more explanation to his trip to Aslava and Alphina. And yes, the two of them were summoned at night, but not when he was going to be. He was actually already asleep, and in his own room. He was woken up, and met Crowley outside of Duncan's door. Wonder why he wrote down something else . . . unless he was writing down the truth of what he said, and had actually said that to Halt and Gilan. But why would he lie to them, about the time of day? He could've just forgotten . . .

_I shifted my position, and stretched out my legs. "After knocking, and getting a reply to come in, we found Duncan pacing in front of his desk. Without even saying anything, Duncan spun on Will. He started asking him these questions about what mainly happened in southern Alphina. I didn't catch half the questions because he was asking them quick, and quietly. He had motioned for me to stay near the door, that it wasn't my turn yet. Will answered all questions cool, confidentially, quick, and quiet. The last question, I didn't catch, but it was serious. Duncan stopped his pacing and stood in front of Will to ask him the question. Will had seemed flustered, and I heard Will respond with 'Why does that matter? How is that even relevant to this situation?' At that, Duncan had stepped closer to Will, put a hand on his shoulder, and, from what I could get from Will later, repeated the question."_

_Halt furrowed his eyebrows, and, for once in his stubborn life, had a puzzled expression on his face._

_I continued, "Long story short, you're not going to see him for a while. After Will answered Duncan's question, the King slowly nodded after he took a step back. Suddenly, he rushed to his desk, and started to flip through his papers. A discarded one floated to the floor at Will's feet, and he bent down to pick it up. He set it back on the desk before turning to me, while I was still across the room, and shared a confused and worried expression with me." I started to speak again, but Gilan, being who he is, had stood up in disbelief when I said he's not going to see you for a while. Before I could start again, he started._

"_Wait! Wait, what d'ya mean we won't be seeing Will again? Why?"_

_Halt, who had been sitting quietly beside me, whispered "Gil, let him finish." _

_Gilan, who I could tell stil, had plenty questions left inside him, slowly sat down. Halt motioned for me to continue._

"_After we had shared glance, Duncan suddenly stopped. Suddenly, he gave the two of us some . . . orders. Those orders were -"_

_"FIRE! FIRE!" The yell carried across the field, the apprentice who yelled soon being echoed by his mentor, and others still. "FIRE, RUN!"_

_ Dark smoke was billowing up behind me, and Rangers were already running around us. Flames were climbing up trees, and spreading to others. Soon enough, while the three of us were still in stunned silence, the flames filled the sky._

_ "CROWLEY! COME ON! HALT, GILAN!"_

_ Halt grabbed Gilan's wrist, planning on dragging him in front. But I beat him too it, by grabbing Halt's wrist and dragging them both in front of me. I was going to stay until I was sure everyone was in front of me. "Halt, go! I'll catch up!" I called. He nodded slightly, and pushed Gilan in front of him. I watched them join Ambrose and Louie as they started to leave the gathering grounds. For another minute, I stood where I had sat for the last two hours, waiting for Rangers to pass me. I had counted. Only thirty had passed me, counting Halt and Gilan, twenty were still missing from my view._

If Crowley was sitting in front of the main tent, he was sitting in the center of the gathering grounds. Meaning, yes, he should have been able to see if anyone had passed him. Yet, he said he was only counting the ones passing him. Easily, other Rangers could've left the grounds any other way. Other than the side that the fire started, of course. He was hoping for a death wish waiting for all fifty Rangers, and the apprentices, to pass him. He should've known that.

Will shifted his position, and let the chair rest back on the floor. He lifted his legs, and swung around and off the chair. Standing up, with the papers in hand, he walked around the table and down a single step into the main portion of his small apartment. It was small, cozy, and just how he liked it. There was a small couch, with in front of it a coffee table. He usually sat at the larger table, which was placed in front of the entry way. You would have to go around the table, which he made himself a few years ago after getting aching knees, after coming through the paper door. He liked it that way, for someone couldn't come in easily. He didn't trust that many people these days. He sat down at the small couch, swung around, and lied down to continue reading the papers.

_ At least ten more people passed me, before one grabbed my wrist and insisted that I needed to leave. I couldn't stay any longer, or I could die, either from the flames or from the smoke. But, of course, I wanted to make sure all the Rangers were out. The air was starting to get thick with the smoke, and I couldn't see that far. After a while, it had started to get extremely hot. The Ranger insisted that I left immediately with him. I shook my head, and squinted my eyes through the smoke, hoping to see more silhouettes moving towards us. There were none. Finally, the Ranger tugged my wrist hard, and started to drag me along behind him. No more were coming. We had to get out of there._

Will squinted at the paper he was holding above his head. The paper was starting to get a little blurry . . . but there was something else. Crowley's details were getting less in depth. He was trying to get this over with. He didn't want to write this, but he probably only did it so I could know, the ex-Ranger thought.

As the page started to go blurry again, Will reached across the thin gab between the couch and coffee table, and grabbed the only thing that currently rested on the table: his glasses.

_I don't remember much more from that day, Will. After that Ranger and I had started to run from the flames, licking at our heels, I realized what the smoke was actually doing to me. I couldn't breathe, and I could barely see. The longer we ran, the more I stumbled, and gasped for breath. Soon, I was relying on the Ranger to steer me along. But he too was having trouble. He must have been in the fire as long as I had, so he was in the same state I was._

_ By the time we got out of the forest, and into clearer land, with the other Rangers across a river about half a kilometer away, my vision started to black. My eyes shut, and I felt myself fall from the other Ranger's grasp. These next paragraphs, Halt'll fill you in, because, I, obviously, wasn't conscious then. Though, I guess I could . . . but I'm going to let Halt say 'Hi'._

The page ended at that, and that was the last sheet. Will flipped over the page, hoping that Halt's piece might be written on the back. The next page was missing.

Will threw the pages away, and sat up, and vaulted himself over the top of the couch. He jumped over the step, and rushed around to the other side of the table, the side closet to the wall. He didn't want to be left off at an ending like that! What happened? And who was the Ranger who helped Crowley out?

Most of the papers and leather folders were still resting in the package. Only the original letter from Duncan lay underneath the sheets that explained what was in the 'First Reason' folder. Each Reason had been tied together with the papers that went along with the story. Yet there were no extra sheets to be seen. _Chocho_ pulled the other six folders out of the box. He grabbed the second folder, and shuffled through all the papers in that folder. No extra papers. He flipped through the rest of the folders. No extra papers.

Except the second copy of Duncan's original letter. The one the King said would have five ink drops on it. That letter was actually sitting with the original, thrown to the side because the ex-Ranger already knew what it said. Will looked at the original, and noticed a small detail he didn't notice before. He had folded the letter up, and thrown it to the side when he opened the package. He had also thrown the second copy next to it, as was said before. If they were the same letter . . . then why were they two different sizes?

He reached across the table, grabbed the second letter, and unfolded it. One small sheet slipped out, and that was the second copy. One other sheet had been folded around the smaller one.

The larger sheet had Halt's handwriting.

_Gilan, being thicker in the skull than usual, had gone back in. Nearly all the Rangers were out, yet Crowley was nowhere to be seen. He had gone back in, and thankfully, came out dragging Crowley after him. I and a few other Rangers ran out towards the stumbling pair and just in time too. Ten meters after they had ran out of the forest, Crowley fell. Gilan had stopped to kneel beside him, and was just bending over him to see if he was still conscious when we got there._

_ "Halt! I found him. Though, I think we might need to carry him for now." Gilan gasped out. Crowley was unconscious._

_ And that's why I'm writing what's left. Not much is left to explain. After getting Crowley across the river with the rest of the Ranger, we counted the Rangers to make sure everyone was here. In total, 11 Rangers were missing, and no apprentices. All apprentices had fled with their mentors, and all of them had made it out. Most Rangers wanted to go back in there, but us older and wiser Rangers had to point out, that if we went back in there, there was a large possibility that we would just lose more people. In the end, we had to wait until the fire had died down to go back in there._

_ Crowley didn't wake up for some time. Not until midday the next day did he wake up, and even then, he acted slow, and tired. He stayed back with Gilan, who also wasn't in the best condition, when 15 of us went back into the gathering grounds a few days later. Some places were still smoldering. I hadn't realized how intense the fire had actually been until when I went back in there._

_ 3 crisp bodies were found. No faces were recognizable. 5 other bodies were found, not burnt at all. We could tell who each of those bodies were. 3 bodies were still missing, yet we found no more. _

_ I'm sorry, Will. It gets much worse than just this._

Someone tapped on the paper door. Will's head snapped up, but he stayed bent over the table. Who would come here at this time? Wasn't it time that everyone was in bed? No one should be up and around waking people up at a time at night like this.

"Will . . ." Will stood up straight. His eyes widened. He was hearing things now. He truly was going crazy. Shigeru and Kiyoshi, the healer/doctor, told him it was just his anxiety issues. They said that his new problems were just from anxiety, and going through a traumatic event. No. No, he was going crazy. He was hearing dead people. Reading things sent from dead people. Sometimes, he _saw _dead people. 'No', they said, 'you're just imagining it. Ranger's do have an amazing imagination.' Will tapped his chin. If I was experiencing all of these things with dead people . . . well . . .

Maybe I am dead, Will thought.

* * *

**Over Winter Break, I read this book . . . Thirteen Reasons Why. HONESTLY, ALL I DID WAS SKIM THROUGH IT ABOUT A MONTH BEFORE I STARTED WRITING FOR THIS. OMG, THE BASIC IDEA WAS ****EXACTLY THE SAME. IF YOU HAVEN'T READ IT, I HIGHLY RECOMMEND IT. Also, I am always open into recommending books to people if they need me to. Usually, I recommend Ranger's Apprentice first, but I have other books to recommend. :D **

**Thanks for the support, and your reviews always make my day! Thanks! :D**

**-Spencer JD**


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